Metrograph Pictures Takes North America For Jérémy Clapin’s Berlinale Sci-Fi Movie ‘Meanwhile On Earth’

EXCLUSIVE: New York-based distributor Metrograph Pictures has acquired North American rights to French director Jérémy Clapin’s sci-fi drama Meanwhile on Earth following its world premiere in the Berlinale’s Panorama section last month.

The lost sibling tale marks the first live-action feature for Clapin after his 2019 Oscar-nominated, Netflix-acquired animated movie I Lost My Body, which originally world premiered in Cannes Critics’ Week and also won the Cristal for Best film at the Annecy International Animation Festival in 2019

The drama follows a young woman who is struggling to come to terms with the disappearance of her brother, an astronaut who vanished during his first mission.

While stargazing one night, she is shocked to receive contact from her him, but her joy is short-lived when she learns of the dark and troubling forces behind his reappearance, forcing her to confront the lengths she will go for the brother she once feared was gone forever.

Deadline critic Damon Wise hailed the film as “a strange, poetic, and endearingly surreal meditation on the counterintuitive ways in which we react when confronted with loss”.

“Jérémy Clapin is a hugely talented filmmaker, and he has created an exciting and inspiring new work of science fiction. Meanwhile on Earth is reminiscent of the best of the genre, combining an innovative, visionary world and compelling supernatural premise with deeply emotional, real-life underpinnings,” said Metrograph Pictures head David Laub.

Entertainment company Metrograph Pictures was founded in 2016 around the specialist cinema theatre Metrograph NYC, which focuses on rare archival screenings and special premieres and also runs a restaurant and book store.

Metrograph launched its distribute label in 2019 with a focus on restorations and has since expanded its offering into contemporary titles. The company also runs its own SVOD platform, Metrograph At Home.

“As we grow our distribution business, we are always on the lookout for films like Meanwhile on Earth – a smart, original movie from an exciting and distinctive filmmaker,” said Metrograph CEO Christian Grass.

Paris-based company Charades is handling International sales.

“We are thrilled about our first cooperation with Metrograph Pictures, a company that perfectly aligns with the film’s branding for the U.S. audience,” said Charades co-founder and co-head Carole Baraton.

Meanwhile on Earth is produced by Marc Du Pontavice and executive produced by Luc Bricault.

The film is edited by Jean-Christophe Bouzy, Cannes Palme d’Or winner Julia Ducournau’s longtime film editor, and lensed by Robrecht Heyvaert (Revenge, Bad Boys for Life, Rebel). The music is by Dan Levy, who also scored I Lost My Body.